I Trusted You
by zutaraforeveryay
Summary: When Ty Lee visits Azula in prison, she has no idea she'll be on an adventure of a lifetime the next morning. But certain people are trying to stop them on their quest. The quest? Find the forbidden shrine of Agni. If the biggest god in their continent can't help Azula, what can? Zutara, Taang, Sukka, and one sided Maiko.
1. Visiting Hours

Chapter 1

Visiting Hours

I walk down the hall of cells, searching for the one I have been directed to. As I look into another cell, I hear a voice behind me.

"You're back."

I turn and peer into the cell. Azula is standing in the middle of the cell, a menacing frown on her face.

"Azula…why?"

"Traitor. Do not question me, Ty Lee."

Azula walks up and stares coldly into my brown eyes.

"I'm not a traitor, Azula."

"You _left_ me! You _betrayed _me! How is that not traitorous?"

"You were going to kill Mai, Zula. I couldn't let you do that." I say as I cross my arms.

She's starting to get on my nerves. And her aura is lemon yellow. That's bad. It means she's up to something. Then she turns away from me and says something in a low voice.

"That's true. You're such a little goody-goody that you couldn't help yourself. Too bad."

That's when I just snapped. "I am _not_ a goody-goody." I clutch the bars on the door so tight my knuckles are turning white.

"Prove it then." I gasp as she holds up a ball of blue fire.

"How?"

She laughs. "Why, it's obvious!"

Her golden eyes narrow.

"Break."

"Me."

"Out."


	2. Prison Break

My brain is working way overtime to process this. Break her out? Is she craz-Oh wait, she is crazy. Never mind! Focus, Ty Lee! She just told you to break her out! What do I do now? I mean, breaking her out is illegal! But she called me a goody-goody! Well I sort of am one! No, I'm not! Oh, what do I do, what do I do, what do I do, what do I do?

"Ty Lee? What are you waiting around for?"

"Huh?" I quickly snap out of it. Azula's aura is a muddied red and she's glaring at me through the rusted metal bars. Great, she's already angry with me.

"Well?"

I twiddle my thumbs, not daring to look up at her.

"Azula, I can't. You're _insane_."

She rolls her amber eyes.

"_That_ was over a _month_ ago. They brought in some big-shot healer, she traipses around with her herbs, I get all better, blah, blah, blah, I'm waiting! Go knock out Dum-Dum's guards, get some keys, and unlock this despicable cell! I have errands to run. You're coming too, of course."

"Well, I might have already knocked out the guards because they wouldn't let me in. And I also have the keys, 'cause your cell was locked."

I hold up the keys. "Ta-da."

She smirks. "You're better at this than I thought you'd be."

I tuck the key ring back into my belt, and then look up. Azula is frowning at me, her golden eyes gleaming in the light of her blue fire.

"Ty Lee, what are you doing? Hurry up and unlock this cursed prison cell!"

I pull out the keys again.

"How do I know you won't drag me out to the middle of nowhere and leave me there? How do know I can trust you?"

She laughs. It's the first time I've heard her laugh in a long time.

"Ty Lee, you can _never_ trust me. However, I give you my word that I won't leave you stranded alone somewhere. Now hurry up!"

Sighing, I fit the key into the lock, knowing I'll regret it someday. The lock creaks as I turn the lock, but it still works. We pull the door back (stupid heavy iron) and re-lock the door when Azula steps out of the 'despicable' cell. I look at Azula. Her aura is now an orangey red color. I smile. It's the same as it was when we were on the road two years ago.

Azula plucks at the fraying thread on her dingy red prison uniform.

"I need new clothes. And money to buy them."

So I end up searching 186 unconscious Fire Nation guards for money. Azula stole a hair tie from one of the female guards too. As we sneak out the back door, I glance at Azula's clothes.

"Azula, how in Agni are you going to buy new clothes when your current ones look like, well, a prison uniform?"

She just smiles. "Oh, I know a guy."

I roll my eyes. Same old Azula. No experience with boys, but she still 'knows a guy'.


	3. Night Travel

The Forest. Azula's POV

_I watch from the shadows of Zuzu's room as my mother hurries in, her face deathly pale and her crimson dress swirling around her feet. She rushes over to Zuko's bed and sits down. I hear her talking to him, and figure she's probably saying goodnight. Slipping out of the dark room, I tiptoe down the hall to my room and wait for my goodnight hug. But her arms never curl around me that night. As I walk down the hall the next morning, I realize she never said goodbye._

_ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ(_Azula!)_ZZZZZZZZZ(_Azula!)_ZZZZZZZZZZZZZ(_Wake up!)_ZZZZZZZZZZZ(_Hey_!)-XXX_

Ty Lee is looking worriedly at me.

"Zula? Were you having a bad dream? You were tossing and turning and-"

"Of course not! And don't call me that!" I snap.

"But you were cry-"

"I WAS NOT CRYING! GET BACK TO BED!" I yell.

She frowns slightly, then smiles softly and curls up in her patch of grass.

" Kay!"

That girl is way too happy.

Forest, early morning. Ty Lee's POV

I sit up in my pile of grass and begin to panic. Azula's nowhere in sight!

Then I hear loud crashing from a cluster of shrubberies and Azula emerges covered in dirt and leaves, cursing like a sailor, her aura dark forest green.

" Ty Lee, you're awake. Good. Perhaps _you_ can collect firewood. The only thing _I'm_ collecting is filth."

She throws a small handful of twigs on the ground and sits down as gracefully as one can gracefully sit down on a rotting stump.

I flip onto my feet with a cartwheel and launch into the nearest tree. Snapping off six lengthy branches, I jump to the forest floor. I snap the branches in half and place them on top of Azula's pile.

Then I sit down and watch Azula scorch a circle on the ground for the sticks. She snaps her fingers and sparks fall from them into the pile. Within a minute, a warm fire is blazing.

"Azula, the smoke might alert someone. Aren't you worried?"

"It's fine. We're miles away from any villages or buildings."

I rifle through my pack, which holds eight money pouches filled to the top, my extra change of clothes and a map I bought in a village two days ago. Last night, we looked at the map. Azula says we're about ten miles away from Jien's hideaway. Apparently, he's an escaped prisoner. He met Azula after her recovery and was going to escape with her, but she stayed behind.

So now I'm headed to an escapee's house in a deep canyon with another escapee, who happens to be the most dangerous girl in the world.

What am I doing out here, you ask?

I have absolutely no idea whatsoever.

Those were big words.

…cough.


	4. The Canyon

**I am so, so, sooooo, sorry I haven't posted! My computer broke and I went to my grandparents for Christmas so I haven't been able to get anything up. BUT I'm making up for it with TWO loooong chapters. Happy now? Yay!**

The Canyon

Unfortunately, Zula forgot to mention that those ten miles were over a mountain pass. I'm not very fond of sharp rocks.

"_Ty Lee?"_ Azula calls from a ways back. I run back along the rough trail to her. She's fallen into a sitting position with her arm tangled up in her belt strap, which is caught on her sleeve. It's a pretty funny picture. I take my bag off my shoulders and look for something to cut the belt. As I rifle through the sack, my hand brushes against something woody. I pull it out to reveal a deep green box painted with the character for 'fans'. Opening the box, I peer inside. My Kyoshi fans gleam in the sunlight. I pick one up and flick it open, exposing the razor sharp edge. Turning to Azula, I carefully slice through the thick leather and cut the sharp studs off the ends. Who came up with the idea for those anyway?

"Thank you, Ty Lee. Let's get moving now." She says, taking my hand and getting off the ground. I nod and follow her down the path.

"Ty Lee, why aren't you still with the Kyoshi Warriors?"

I freeze mid-step. "H-how did you know about that?" I whisper.

She shrugs. "The guards talk pretty loud. You haven't answered my question yet."

I fiddle with my braid, which has gotten pretty long, as I think of an answer.

"Remember our stay on Ember Island?"

"Yes. It was quite fun to crash that party."

"Do you remember our confessions on the beach?"

"…yes."

"Mine was about my sisters and I being a matched set. When I joined the Kyoshi Warriors, I thought I would finally be unique. But at my first glance of those uniforms and makeup, that dream was crushed. I just couldn't stand it! So, I left. Turned in my uniform. Suki wasn't happy, but she refused to keep the fans. She said they were mine, as a reminder of the Kyoshi Warriors. After that, I took the first ship from Kyoshi and headed for the Earth Kingdom. But the circus just wasn't that fun anymore. So I went back to the Fire Nation and stayed with Mai's family. But she's been acting strange since Zuko dumped her for Katara, so I came to visit you!" I finish, looking over at Azula.

Her face is a mixture of bewilderment and shock.

"Zuzu…is dating the WATERBENDER!?"

Her shriek of horror echoes over the mountains. She hurls a few balls of blue fire before she calms down, but I hear her mutter something like 'water peasant'.

Just then we hear a scream from the valley below us. Someone is trying to put out a fire on their house. Azula cringes.

"Oops."

We quickly make our way down the side of the canyon as the person puts out the fire. As we get closer, Azula suddenly breaks into a run towards the guy.

"Jien!" Azula cries, throwing her arms around him. He grins and hugs her back.

"Ty Lee, this is Jien! Jien, this is Ty Lee!"

Smiling, he holds out a hand to shake mine and I see the many battle scars on his arm. I shake his hand.

"I'm Jien. Azula's told me a bit about you."

I smile. "I can say the same about you."

He laughs and gestures with his arm, revealing more scars on the underside.

"Why don't you come inside? Azula, I have those clothes you wanted, and Ty Lee, you're welcome to explore the house. Make yourself at home." He says, disappearing upstairs.

We walk into his living room and I notice a scroll laid haphazardly on the floor. I pick it up and look at the illustrations. It looks like instructions for sword practice. I roll it up and put it on the couch. Jien comes back and hands Azula a bundle of clothes.

"Upstairs and the second door on the right."

I ignore Azula and Jien's chatting and walk over to the fireplace. Crossed over the mantel is a pair of Dual Dao swords. I run my fingers over a painting of Azula. Why would he have one here? Zuko was Fire Lord now, and didn't enforce pictures of the royal family. Besides, none of the other members of the monarchy are put up here.

I give up investigating his painting and walk into the kitchen. A plate of moon peaches is on the cherrywood table along with a still-warm bowl of fireflakes. I pick up a peach and walk over to the bay window that looks out on the valley. The canyon really is beautiful. There's a dusting of flowers on the lush green grass and the mountain is granite. A large garden is placed tastefully at the side of the house, which is painted a jade green. I open the back door and walk into the garden. Vegetables are in the first row, then a few fruit trees and bushes. Behind the house is a komodo chicken coop and a deep bathing pond.

"_Ty Lee? Where are you?"_ Azula calls from the back door.

I run back to the house and go into the kitchen. Azula and Jien are standing next to the table. Azula's clothes are identical to the ones she wore on the road, except there's only one shoulder cover. Her aura is now her normal orange red, confident and in charge.

"There you are. We were looking for you."

She sits down and takes a handful of fireflakes, tossing pinches into her mouth. I pull up a chair and take another bite of my peach. As Azula and Jien talk, I wonder what's going to happen now that we're here. Luckily, Azula answers that question for me.

"Ty Lee, how does a road trip sound to you?"

I smile.

"Where're we headed?"

She gives me her signature smirk.

"Guess."

I sit back in the chair. What are Azula's goals?

Be her father's favorite. Check.

Become Fire Lord. Check.

Kill the Avatar. Check.

That's all that I remember. Then a faint childhood memory surfaces from my mind.

"_Ty Lee, do you know where the shrine of Agni is?" a eight-year old Azula asks._

"_No, duh. There's a reason they call it the __**forbidden**__ shrine of Agni. Only the Fire Sages know where it is. Not even your dad knows where it is!"_

_Azula frowns._

"_When I'm older, I'm going to find it and then Daddy will be happy and he'll bring Mommy back and everybody will be happy."_

I gasp in delight.

"The shrine of Agni!"

Azula looks shocked. "Y-yes. How did you know?"

I smirk back at her.

"Not telling."

Azula laughs. She hasn't laughed since the prison. She should.

"Alright, keep your secret. We're leaving tomorrow after dinner. It'll be cooler outside then. You're sleeping on the couch. I'm sleeping upstairs."

She gets up and grabs Jien's arm.

"Jien and I have some…_things_ to talk about."

I wander back into the living room and sit down on the couch, staring into the fire.

Jien's aura is a soft pink whenever he looks at Azula now.

I'll tell her tomorrow.

Maybe.

:D


	5. On The Sidelines

**(A.N.) Hi! So, this chapter doesn't have **anything **that's in the Canyon. But you'll get to see what the other guys are doing. Bye!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender. But every Christmas, I ask Santa for Zutara. He hasn't gotten me it yet.**

On The Sidelines

The metalbending school's bell rang and twelve students ran out into the courtyard, laughing. Following them out of the ornate building was the self-proclaimed greatest earthbender in the world. She wore a light tunic over matching emerald green shirt and pants, belted with a golden sash. Her long black hair fell in waves past her shoulders and down her back, a green and gold band holding her bangs in place.

"Alright, lily livers! Half an hour for lunch and then back to lessons!" she yelled.

Giving one last frown at her students, she walked back inside. Large chunks of iron were strewn around the large training room. She strode down the hall to the kitchen. As she got closer, she heard a thump from the kitchen and sensed a person inside. Her sightless eyes widened in surprise when she realized who it was. Racing down the hall and into the kitchen, she threw her arms around the monk.

"Aang! I missed you so much! Where have you been?"

"Oh, nowhere. Visiting the Fire Nation school, eating fireflakes, refusing meat samples. The Fire Nation school isn't as cool as yours though. Don't tell my teacher I said that." he said, setting her down.

He'd grown in the past year and was now taller than Katara. Nothing else had changed about him, still wearing the orange and yellow monk's robe. He took her hand and sat her down.

"Okay. I have _bad_ news and_ good_ news. What do you want first?"

"Good. Usually, the good news is actually regular news or something I've heard already."

"Okay. Good news, Sokka and Suki are getting marri-"

"Heard it already! I get international news. That includes international engagements. I'm _rich_."

"Thank you for not interrupting!"

"Sor-ry!"

"_Any_way, the bad news is that Azula's escaped from prison."

Her face went white.

"No. Nonononono, this can't be happening. How could she get out of there?!"

"The guards say she had an accomplice, but they were knocked out and can't remember anything past that. Katara's there and will be trying to help restore their memory, but Zuko needs us there to help find her and **bring her back.**"

Toph scowled and punched the table.

"You should have taken her bending away when you had the chance, Aang."

He shrugged.

"And lose the **only** blue firebender in the world? No. We were hoping that we'd be able to recover her sanity, so she could be free. But that isn't the point. The point is that we need to put her back behind bars. Are you up for it?"

She thought for a moment and then nodded.

"I'll give the students a 'Teacher is going on a road trip' vacation."

He got up from his chair. "Alright. I'll be back by midnight. Is there somewhere I can sleep?"

She nodded, pushing her chair back into its place.

"Aang."

He turned back from the door. She smiled.

"I'll wait up for you."

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Suki shut the door and scanned the parchment the courier had given her. Her eyes widened and she folded the letter back up, then ran upstairs, her forest green dress whirling as she rounded the corner and opened the door to the bedroom.

"Sokka! Wake up!"

She strode over to the bed and softly shook her fiancée's shoulder.

"Sokka…I have breakfast ready in a few minutes!"

He leaped out of bed and got dressed in his tunic, tugging his boots on and tying his hair into a ponytail.

"What's for breakfast?"

She giggled.

"Sausages and eggs, but that's not why I woke you up."

He sat down and took the letter from her hand.

"Fire Lord Zuko regrets to inform you that his sister Azula has escaped prison!?"

She placed a gentle hand on his shoulder.

"Read the rest, Sokka."

He nodded and continued.

"He asks that Avatar Aang, Prince Sokka of the Southern Water Tribe, Heiress Toph Bei Fong, the greatest earthbender in the world, and Suki, leader of the Kyoshi Warriors please help him search for the princess with him. Sincerely, Jing Dao, the royal secretary of the Fire Lord."

She took the letter from him. "Do you want to go, or are you staying here while I go?"

He jumped up from the bed.

"Of course I'm going! Azula is on the loose! She could be laying waste to Jying by now!"

She smiled.

"Let's get ready to leave then."

He frowned. "I want breakfast first."

She laughed and they went downstairs to make breakfast.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

The east wall of the Fire Lord's office was getting a severe beating. Zuko had been locked in there with the healer for an hour.

"Graaaaah!" He yelled, punching the wall again.

"How could they be so careless?! They were charged with guarding the most dangerous person in the world and they **failed**! They're all idiots! I'll have them bani-"

A gentle hand pulled him into a hug and he relaxed in her arms.

Katara let go of him and led him to the couch.

"Zuko, please calm down. If you keep raging like this, you won't have a **wall** anymore. And Aang went to get everybody, so you'll be able to find her. And you'll find her before the summer festival. I'm sure of it."

He sighed. "I'll try to relax. It just gets to me that she could escape that easily, even with an accomplice. This prison is the best one in the homeland!"

"And your sister is the most dangerous criminal in the world. I'm going to get some tea. You should meditate. You need it."

He nodded and sat down on the floor, his breath becoming rhythmic. The voice of his sister echoed in his head, taunting him.

"_You'll never find me… I'm impossible to find…can't catch me…Agni Kai…I'LL SHOW YOU LIGHTNING!"_

His eyes flew open. She had been right in front of him, her finger pointed behind him. He pressed a hand to the scar on his chest. Katara had been healing it every morning. He sighed and closed his eyes again, the candles in the room flickering with living light.


	6. Tears and Tickles

Chapter 6

Azula's POV

"_You are weak, girl."_

"_Not worthy of your nation."_

"_Destroy her."_

_The spirits drifted closer, eerie, featureless faces looming over._

_She struggled against her bonds, but they held fast as a dagger was held up._

_Maniacal laughter echoed as her vision faded to black._

_Black._

_Black hair, swirling around her. It cleared and she was sitting by the turtle-duck pond with her mother. Ursa smiled at her and handed her a dragonheart._

"_Azula."_

_Her father appeared at the door to the garden, a scowl on his face. She stood and walked over to him. Her mother called after her._

"_Azula, no!"_

_Her father held her tightly and sent a wave of fire toward Ursa. _

_Azula screamed out as her mother vanished beneath the flames._

_The dragonheart lay forgotten next to the pond._

_0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0_

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa aaaaaaaaaaah!"

A shrill scream ripped through the silence of the house. She clapped a hand over her mouth, silently blaming herself for making such a peasant-like sound. She never screamed.

Footsteps pounded upstairs and from down the hall.

"Zula!"

"Azula!"

Ty Lee and Jien burst through her door and rushed over to her.

"Azula, what happened?!"

"Nothing.."

"Don't lie, Zula! You woke the komodo- chickens outside and you're shaking like a leaf!"

"You look like you saw Koh!"

"Was it a bad dream?" Jien, can you get her some water?"

Jien nodded and ran downstairs.

Ty Lee sat down on the bed and looked her in the eyes.

"What happened, Zula?"

"I had a dream about my mother."

"Oh."

"I don't want to talk about it. Go back to bed. You'll need your rest."

Jien opened the door and handed her a glass of water.

"See you at breakfast, Azula."

"Night, Zula."

She curled up in her bed and set the glass of water on the bedside table, pulling the covers over her head.

-o-|-o-|-o-|-o-|-o-|-o-

"Azuuuuulaa…wakey, wakey!"

A grinning Ty Lee pounces onto my bed.

"Come **on**! Jien's making dragonheart and moon-peach bread for breakfast!"

I pull the covers back over my head. "Ty Lee, go away. I'm sleeping!"

"If you don't get up, I'm going to tickle you. I know where your ticklish spots aare…"

I pull off the covers, and sit up.

"You."

"Wouldn't."

"Dare."

She grins devilishly.

"Oh, I dare! Tickle time!"

She tackles me and starts tickling me.

"Ahahahahahaha..stop, stop! JIEN, HELP!I'm being attacked!"

"Get **up, **Zula! Tickle, tickle!"

The door bursts open and Jien comes in with his dual dao swords.

"Azula! You- oh. That kind of attack."

"Jien! Help m-hahahahaha..stop, Ty!"

"Not until you promise to get up, dress, and come eat breakfast!" she giggles.

"Fine, fine!"

She laughs and climbs over me to the headboard, vaulting off of it and landing in the doorway.

"Hurry up or I'll come back and tickle you again!"

I smirk and shut the door behind Jien and Ty Lee.

Pulling open a drawer, I pull out my washed prison uniform and, holding up a flaming finger, I carefully trim the uniform into a dress. Finished, I grab the belt and grey pants from my traveling clothes and put everything on.

"Breakfast, everybody!"

I quickly pull on some soft silk slippers and run downstairs.

"Good morning, Azula!"

"Morning, Jien."

Jien smiles and sets a plate of bread in front of me. It's loaded with bits of fruit. I bite into my first slice and savor the sweet moon-peach and tangy dragonheart.

"So, how is it?"

"Delicious!"

He grins at me and hands Ty Lee another slice of bread.

After breakfast, we all clean up the kitchen and start packing up.

Jien heads over to his painting shed to finish his paintings and lock up.

Ty Lee goes upstairs to re-pack our clothes and some bedding, so we don't have to sleep on leaves.

I'm assigned to preparing and packing food.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Ty Lee's POV

The pink-clad acrobat made her way down the stairs to the kitchen, worn steps creaking beneath her feet.

"Azula?"

Azula whirled around, hands poised to blast fire at whoever had disturbed her packing. Once she saw Ty Lee, she dropped her hands and went back to putting dried jerky into a deep gold-colored satchel.

"What is it?"

"Um, well, have you seen Jien?"

"No, but he headed off to his painting shed a couple of hours ago."

"His painting shed?"

"Yes. He paints landscapes. People too, sometimes."

"Oh…is that why he has a painting of you?"

Azula stiffened visibly.

"Ty Lee, you really shouldn't pry in other people's things. It's rude."

"Sorry."

The black-haired royal opened a cabinet and took out a cloth, untying it and putting a large bundle of dried rice noodles in.

"Azula?"

"What is it?"

"Do you miss your mom? Or your dad?"

The plate Azula had been putting in the cabinet clattered down on the counter, chips of clay breaking off and falling to the floor. The orange red aura darkened around her.

When she turned around, the look on her face was pure rage. She marched over and clutched Ty Lee's shoulder so tight, her nails dug sharply into her tunic.

"When you asked about Jien's painting, you were simply _testing_ the line to see if it would hold, but _this_ is just skipping over the line and running amok!"

"I'm sorry! Azula, please, I didn't mean to upset you!"

"You are an insolent brat!"

"Azula, you said I could trust you!"

As suddenly as she had started yelling, Azula quieted. Her face returned to the calm, collected, and orange red aura that was normally surrounding her body. She let go of Ty Lee's shoulder.

"I did. And you can. Hopefully."

Without a word, she left the room, ebony hair brushing her shoulder.


	7. Scared of the Shadows

Author's Note:

Alright, I know you guys probably hate me for not updating for, what, FOUR MONTHS, but I'm back with two whole chapters for you, so don't kill me, 'kay?

I haven't been updating because I was really, really busy with betaing another friend of mine's story.

Disclaimer: Azula?

Azula: "If she owned A:TLA, I'd be the Fire Lord by now."

So without further ado, I present Chapter 7!

Ty Lee's POV

We left the canyon after a delicious dinner, made by Jien, of course. Azula's cooking is usually burnt by the time she gets done with it.

I'm still kinda scared, after Azula's freak-out earlier. She's walking ahead of me, talking animatedly to Jien about weapons, mostly swords. I have no experience with weapons except Mai's daggers, and I still don't know much about how she uses them.

"Um, Azula?"

She glances back at me and laughs a bit.

"Oh, Jien, I think we're leaving Ty Lee out of the conversation. Would you tell her about the capabilities of Dual Daos?"

He nods, smiling, and over the next hour, he tells me about different weapons and the special abilities of each one, and by the time we stop for the night, I know how a battle-axe is correctly swung and exactly how to maneuver it to disarm an opponent.

We stop in a clearing by twilight. There's a stream not far from us, so I go and get some water for our dinner. When I get back, Azula is sitting on her sleeping bag, maps spread out in front of her, with Jien digging a fire pit on the other side of the camp. I set down the water and gather a pile of stones to line the pit's edge. Then Jien pulls out his Dual Daos and cuts some firewood. Azula glances away from her maps long enough to shoot a blast of fire into the pit, and Jien and I start on the stew.

When the stew is done, I set a bowl by Azula and she picks it up, setting down the map in her hands. Jien takes a loaf of bread from his pack and slices off three pieces, one for each of us.

Half an hour later…

"Alright, I think that's enough maps for the night. Jien. Put the swords away."

Jien and I pause in the middle of sword practice. He's been teaching me the basics of Dual Dao fighting. I hand him the swords and walk over to my sleeping bag.

Azula sets down her maps, rolling them up and putting them in her satchel. She pulls her hair out of its bun and sets the hairpiece on the satchel, snuggling into her sleeping bag. Jien and I follow suit and soon we are all asleep.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

_Azula's POV_

_Shadows swirl around me, twisting and twirling, morphing into the faces of the people I trusted._

_Mai._

"_You miscalculated. I love Zuko more than I fear you."_

_Ty Lee._

"_Come __on__! Let's get out of here!"_

_Zuko._

"_Sorry, but _you're_ not going to become Fire Lord today. I am."_

_Father._

"_I've decided to lead the fleet of airships to Ba Sing Se __alone__. You will remain here in the Fire Nation."_

_Mother__._

"_No. I __love__ you, Azula. I do."_

_The shadows clear and my mother stands before me, dressed in her red robes. She stretches out a hand to me, and I step forward to take it. _

_But as I do, I see her eyes._

_Black._

_Cold. _

_Empty__._

_She lunges toward me, and I scream in terror as her fingers turn into claws._

_The shadows swirl around me, and I am once again engulfed in black._

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

I wake, breathing heavily, my chest feeling tight and my throat feeling small.

Clumsily pulling on my boots, I stumble to the stream and splash my face with water, sinking to my knees on the bank of the stream.

"_I love you, Azula. I do."_

I gasp, the ghostly voice echoing in my head and around me, as the shadow s in the forest taunt me, shapes swirling in the darkness.

"Azula?"

I whirl around, my hair flying out behind me, and see Ty Lee, her blanket pulled around her shoulders and a worried look on her face.

"Azula, was it another nightmare?"

I get to my feet and brush the dirt and grass from my knees.

"No, of course not. Go back to bed. I'm fine."

She frowns, flicking a strand of hair away from her face.

"Azula, you may be good at lying, but I can tell when you're doing it. Tell the truth."

I shift my gaze to the stream.

"Nothing."

"Azula. Don't lie."

I grit my teeth and sigh in exasperation.

"Azula, tell me what reall-"

"It's NOTHING! Go to bed and leave me alone!"

I storm back to the campsite and sit down in front of the dying fire.

I flick my finger and the flames flare up again.

Curling up in my sleeping bag, I watch the fire flicker, praying that it won't die and leave me in the darkness.

Even if I do have nightmares, _nobody_ can know that I'm weak.

0o0o0o0oo0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Ty Lee's POV

I trudge slowly back to the camp, Azula's outburst replaying in my head.

She seemed uncomfortable and guarded, but her aura had betrayed her and told me how she was really feeling.

It was a dark gray, the color of fear.

Azula was _scared_.

She tried to hide it, though. Why?

Then I remember that Azula was always the bravest of the three of us, when it was just me, Mai and Azula. She would protect me from bullies at school and stand up to Mai's dad.

She's scared to show that she's weak.

I come to a stop at the edge of the campsite and look over the scene in front of me.

Jien is asleep, curled up and cuddling with his Dual Dao scabbard.

The fire is blazing high, red flames shedding light across the clearing.

And Azula is sitting in front of it, curled up in a sleeping bag, golden eyes never moving from the fire.

I sigh and walk over to my pile of blankets, jumping in and burrowing in them.

Her eyes flick over to me for a second, and then go back to watching the fire.

"You know, Azula, it's not _bad_ to be weak. Everyone is."

She doesn't look over, but a single tear falls from her cheek, and I realize just how scared she is, because Azula never cries.

The last time Azula even got _close_ to crying was on Ember Island, when she was talking about her mother.

I get up from my pile of blankets and walk over, sitting down next to her. She leans over and rests her head on my shoulder, the tears now flowing freely from her eyes. I smile sadly and hand her one of my blankets.

"We'll find her, Azula. Don't worry."

End of Chapter 7.


	8. We're Inn Trouble

Author's Note:

As promised, here's Chapter 8!

Disclaimer: I don't own A:TLA, because if I did, Zutara would be canon.

Anyway, enjoy!

Ty Lee's POV

We leave the campsite the next morning, keeping to the forest, in case someone recognizes Jien or Azula.

Azula and I haven't talked much since last night, but Jien has somehow made me into a sword-fighting genius. He's taught me everything he knows, which is a _lot_, apparently.

"Jien, do you have any food? I'm hungry."

He shakes his head.

"Nope, sorry. I'm fresh out."

I frown a bit, and then cartwheel over to Azula.

"Zu-la! Got any food? I'm hungry, and both Jien and I are out of snacks."

She looks over at me, and then stops walking, rummaging in her pack. She finally pulls out a small piece of dried jerky and hands it over.

"That's all I have. We'll need to stop in the next village for food and information."

About a half hour, we come to a stop in a small trading village. Azula spots a market, and we buy dried meat, noodles, and some fruit.

Azula points to an inn at the edge of the town, near where we entered the village.

"We can eat there, and the fact that it's close to our temporary camp makes for an easy getaway, if we need one."

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

As Jien leads us into the inn, I notice two hooded men in the corner looking at me.

Ty Lee runs over to the innkeeper and chats with him, pulling out a bag of copper coins and stacking them on the counter.

When the pile reaches 20, the innkeeper takes them and says something to Ty Lee. She nods enthusiastically and the innkeeper goes back into the kitchen. Ty Lee runs over and drags Jien in the direction of the nearest table. They immediately begin talking about weapons and things like that.

I shoot an icy glare at the hooded men and walk over to the table, sitting down next to Ty Lee.

After about 12 minutes of sword talk, the innkeeper walks out of the kitchen with three plates of komodo chicken on rice, with a thick sauce on top. He hands me and Jien steaming cups of tea, and Ty Lee gets watermelon juice.

When our meal is almost done, I see out of the corner of my eye that the two hooded men have risen from their table. And so have most of the other guests in the room.

An arrow is suddenly imbedded in the table next to me, and I see one of the hooded men lowering his bow.

I jump up from my seat as another arrow thuds into the wood next to where my head would have been. Jien pulls his Dual Daos from the scabbard on his back and slices the head off of an arrow headed for Ty Lee.

"Azula! Don't bend! We don't want to set this place on fire!"

I nod and growl in frustration at myself for not noticing the danger in this inn.

"Ty Lee, come here and protect my back!"

She obeys and I see a masked girl in the rafters, holding an arsenal of daggers.

I shake my head and run for the first hooded man, knocking the bow from his hands and kicking him in the shin, knocking him out with a water jug. The second man lunges for me and I move out of the way, allowing him to crash to the ground. I pull the string from the other man's bow and tie up the second one's hands with it.

Ty Lee is occupied with seven men, but I don't doubt she'll have trouble.

I vault over the table and land next to Jien, who is surrounded by three men. One holds an ax, one holds a sword and the last holds a club. I jump at the one with a club and twist it out of his hands, whacking him with his own weapon.

I use the same technique on the axe-holding one, and hand it to Ty Lee, who instantly adjusts to the weapon and blocks a sword thrust from one of the seven men who surround her, all holding weapons. She quickly finishes battling them and ties them up.

Jien quickly disarms the last man after a quick fight and we tie them all up with random pieces of cloth around the inn.

Then I remember the girl in the rafters, but it's too late. A dagger is pressed to my throat, and a low voice comes from behind me.

"You're the escaped Princess Azula, huh? This is going to be the best bounty I've collected, for 1,000 gold pieces."

Jien starts toward me, but the voice behind me thinks elsewhere. A dagger whirls through the air and Jien is thrown back to the wall, a dagger pinning him there.

Suddenly, there's a strange sound from behind me, and the girl topples to the ground, immobilized.

"That was close."

Ty Lee steps out from behind me and unpins Jien from the wall. She reaches down and takes something from the unmoving girl, handing it to me.

It's a wanted poster, with a full-color picture of me included. The reward is 1,000 gold pieces, handed to the person from Fire Lord Zuko himself. The poster also includes information about a supposed accomplice.

I notice a small figure in the corner and recognize it as the innkeeper. I realize he probably knows about the reward. I look over to Jien.

"Do you have money?"

He hands over a small bag of gold coins. I stride over to the innkeeper and drop it into his shaking palms.

"We were never here, got that? Even if the Fire Lord asks."

He nods and I grab Ty Lee's arm.

"We're leaving. Now."

As soon as we get to our belongings, we run as far away from the village as possible.

Finally, we stop in a shady patch of bamboo and rest.

"What was that all about, Azula?" Ty Lee says, taking a drink from her waterskin.

I frown.

"My brother is after us, and he's not stopping at anything."

I stare into the setting sun, remembering the many times he would visit me in prison.

_I'm not coming back until I find our mother, Zuko. And I'll do anything to get her back, so watch it, big brother.  
_

End.


End file.
